


Child's Play

by Rumloke



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood, CPR, Caretaker Ray Palmer, Caretaker Sara Lance (minor), Constantine whump, Coughing Blood, Gen, Hellblazer allusions, Hurt/Comfort, Legends worried about John, Magic, Magic Gone Wrong, Mick Rory is here too but briefly, Needles, References to Constantine the TV series, Sleep, Sleeping Constantine, Some light Nate and Zari fluff cuz why not, Unconsciousness, Vengeful Constantine, Vomiting, Whump, Zari 1.0, Zari Tomaz - Freeform, but only slightly - Freeform, cardiac arrest - Freeform, drug injection, season 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 04:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29362437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rumloke/pseuds/Rumloke
Summary: As the Waverider is experiencing computer problems, a fugitive has inconveniently targeted one of the Legends in the past. With their means of time travel limited to none, things look bleak for the team, but surely a powerful warlock such as John Constantine is skilled enough to try some rather unconventional magic without a hitch...?Takes place somewhere in mid season 4.(Mostly Constantine whump, but it's also meant to look like a regular episode, so there should be fun and play for everyone! If you liked the NBC Constantine series, there's a treat for ya in here.)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Getting this story off my chest as well! No, I don't know what Nate is doing on the Waverider since he's suposed to work at the Time Bureau at this point, but who says that a time bro can't take a day off to spend with his old crew and best bud? 
> 
> And I'm super sorry for any Charlie-fans out there! I really do like her, I just... kinda forgot about her when writing this fic.
> 
> TW: Mention of dead kids, but nothing explicit.

“Sara- Um, I mean, captain!” Ray corrected himself as he jogged up to the control panel. Waving with one hand and clutching a computer tablet with the other. “I just finished running another diagnostic and I've got an update on our situation.”

The control panel in the middle of the briefing room was currently surrounded by Sara Lance and Nate Heywood. Zari Tomaz was sitting a bit off on the side by the stairs to the parlor. Her uneasiness was only bested by Sara's clear agitation. The captain pressed a determined finger at a spot above her left temple and leaned heavily on the panel. “Skip the bad news and jump straight to the silver lining, Ray. Momma's got a headache...”

“Well, um...” Ray hesitated and quickly scrolled past the long list off apparently less wanted content. “Okay, so, the good news is that the food fabricator is back online.”

Sara smiled in relief and clapped her hands together in a display of victory, turning around to Nate and Zari. “We've got food back on the menu, people!”

“Well... sorta,” Ray corrected.

The no longer smiling captain glared at the tall scientist. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Ray kept reading from the tablet with a concerned eyebrow. “It means that the fabricator at the moment can only produce grain based food products, wooden materials, and... the color blue.” Ray blinked and stared at the tablet. “...Just the color? Is that right? That can't be right- No, wait. Here it is. Oh. Okay. That's, um, actually exactly what it says.”

“Hey, that's not too bad,” Nate said with a brave amount of optimism. “I've always wanted to try bread made on dinkel wheat. Now I've finally got a reason to.”

“Ooh, we do _not_ have dinkel yet,” Ray told him with a rueful look.

“Aw, man...” Nate mumbled with a strange level of disappointment.

“Sorry, Nate...” Zari muttered from the stairs and fiddled awkwardly with her fingers, wishing she had a controller in her hands.

Sara groaned. “So we are missing four out of five food groups, but hey if anyone would like to retake woodshop class, we're all set for that.”

“I've got some real good news too!” Ray quickly added with a smile bright enough to light up a city. “Saved the best for last-”

“Ray!” The captain snapped impatiently.

Ray's smile quickly faded and was transformed into a serious one. “...The bathroom is back online.”

“Oh thank god...!” Nate said in relief as he quickly headed for the direction of the ship's only toilet. “I love you, bro!”

“Be careful, though!” Ray shouted after him. “The last person didn't... flush.”

Zari closed her eyes before raising a sarcastic thumbs up. “Yeah, that checks out...”

Sara glanced at Zari with an annoyed glare, but seemed too tired to put any energy into it. “Zari, I feel like we've had this conversation before-”

“Been there done that,” Zari muttered knowingly.

“But the next time you decide to install new software for the ship's computer, I would like you to clear it with me first,” Sara said in an impressively collected manner. “I never have this problem with any of the others.”

Zari glanced at Charlie, who was currently half lying half sitting in a couch in the parlor, drinking something possibly expensive. The perks of being a shapeshifter from the 70s and blessed with zero knowledge about computers.

Zari sighed with a tone that could either be regret or irritation. “Look, I totally get that. But in my defense, there was no reason to not go through with it.”

Sara blinked a couple of times. “Excuse me?”

“I've run the computer simulation so many times I'm dreaming in binary code,” Zari explained and got up from the floor. “This update will help Gideon locate time aberrations 4 times faster than before and hopefully even give us alerts when a time quake is _about_ to happen instead of afterwards. I don't think you understand how advanced and complex this software is.”

“I understand that our super AI no longer can make bread,” Sara said coldly.

“Dinkel wheat,” Ray corrected unhelpfully. “We still have rye, oats and barley.”

“Okay, okay!” Zari exclaimed. “I admit that I didn't expect the update to mess with so many other functions. But once this hell is over, it will all be worth it, I promise.”

Zari had barely uttered the word 'Hell' when a tan colored trench coat and its owner suddenly sauntered onboard the bridge.

“What the bloody hell are you lot doing in the middle of a dog park?” John Constantine asked with a cocked eyebrow at the Legends.

“Hey there... John?” Sara said in surprise at the warlock's unexpected arrival. “Did Nate let you in? I didn't hear you on the comm.”

“That's probably cuz I'm not wearing one, luv,” John stated and casually put his hands in his pockets.

“And the comms are down anyway, so-” Ray said with a shrug, but froze as he felt Sara's death glare change its focus. “Buuut... That's part of the 'bad news' list.” Ray conspicuously hid the tablet behind his back. “You don't wanna hear about that stuff.”

“ _What Dr Palmer is referring to is that the communication system is currently offline,”_ Gideon clarified.

Sara smiled. “Of course it is.”

“Well, you lot seem busy, and I don't do courtesy visits,” John continued and started heading for the corridor. “I thought I'd just pop in to secure a certain something I left in the library, and then I'll be on my merry way.”

“Hang on,” Sara said, her smile shifting to a perplexed look. “If Nate didn't let you in, who did?”

“No one, luv,” John confirmed, without even bothering to turn around. “The door was open, so I let myself inside.”

In two seconds, Sara had grabbed John's arm, stopping him in his tracks. “What do you mean that the _door_ was open?” Sara demanded to know. “The ship is invisible.”

John studied Sara's intense look for a second before answering. “Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but you might wanna have a quick look at your gizmos and gadgets. Cuz your flying jam jar is about as subtle as a dogs' bollocks.”

“Gideon?” Sara yelled out at the computer, still with John's arm in a vice grip.

“ _Mr Constantine is correct. The ship's cloak is currently also offline.”_

Sara's look darkened significantly. “...What?”

“And people ask me why I don't own a computer,” John muttered.

“Gideon!” Sara ordered, and let go of John's arm. “We need that cloak up _right now_!”

“ _The system reboot is scheduled to be done in 9 hours and 23 minutes. Thank you Miss Tomaz for the upgrade.”_

“Damn, she can be bitchy some times...” Zari sighed.

Mick Rory entered the unintentional team meeting, his eyes fuming with anger.

“Why is the can always occupied! I need to take a leak,” he growled.

“This is bad,” Ray said, his face turning another shade of panic by the minute. “This is _really_ bad.”

“Oh don't worry there, squire,” John said and gave him a pat on the back. “I bet you the poor sods of this city have seen far stranger things than space vessels in their backyard.”

“And what if anyone else decides to 'pop in' just like you did?” Sara asked in annoyance.

There was an unmistakable sound of Mick firing up his blaster.

“I'm on it,” he said with a grave voice and headed for the exit.

“Good!” Sara said with an appreciative hand gesture. “Glad to see someone taking initiative around here. Mick, guard the doors. Gideon! Cancel the damn upgrade!”

“Sara, wait,” Zari said and ran up to her. “I get that you’re frustrated-”

Sara looked straight at her with a wicked smile. “Not yet. But it's cute that you think that this is what I look like when I'm frustrated.”

“Zari, can't you speed it up?” Ray asked her.

“It's computer science,” Zari told him. “It's not like I can just press a button and make everything magically work again. You might just as well ask Constantine.”

“I knew a bloke who had a knack for computers,” John mused.

“Sounds great, John,” Sara said with a tone dipped in acid and sarcasm. “Why don't you bring him over. I'm thinking of replacing our hacker...”

“A little too late for that, I'm afraid,” John answered simply.

There was a couple of seconds of silence. The others waited for John to elaborate, but the warlock remained oddly quiet. None of the Legends made an attempt to pry any further. John's friends were usually dead. Or worse.

Sara suddenly slammed a hand on the control panel before looking directly at Zari. “Sorry, but I cannot deal with this computer crap anymore,” she said, her other hand dragging through her already tousled her. “I literally can't. I'm pulling the plug on this one.”

“ _I feel the need to inform you that canceling the upgrade at this particular moment will require an emergency shut down of my entire system. The life support will_ _be_ _offline for at least 1 hour._

Ray looks around, worried. “Without life support... We'd have to leave the ship.”

“...which is currently stationed in what appears to be the city's hottest dog walking park,” Zari concluded and solemnly buried her face in her palm.

“As well as fully visible,” Ray added.

Sara suddenly smiled in an unhinged way and threw her hands up, making Ray carefully move behind John with a frightened look as the warlock took a step back from the captain.

“That's it! I'm resigning,” Sara announced happily and turned around to the rest of the crew. “Who wants to be captain?”

No one made a sound. Sara's look immediately turned dark. “You think I'm kidding?”

The only response came from Sara's pocket, where her phone started to chime merrily. She snatched it from its place and answered the call in a giddy manner. “Hey, Gary! You wanna be captain?”

“ _Why aren't your comms working?!_ ” the distressed voice of Gary Green yelled through the device, making Sara wince.

“Just... Busy installing those gosh darn updates Gideon's been nagging about,” Sara said with a tired glance at Zari. “Can't put them off forever, you know. But don't worry, everything's under control. Thanks for checking in on us.”

“ _What do you mean with under control? Have none of you read the news today?”_

Sara blinked. “...The news? Like... Today's news?” Sara asked while turning to the Legends and miming (“Anyone...?”). Zari and Ray shook their heads and a manic laughter from the parlor indicated that their shapeshifter had done no such thing either.

“Wow...” Ray said in disbelief. “I mean, we're in and out of the Temporal zone so much, I'm honestly not even sure what day it is. It feels like Thursday. Is it Thursday? It's Thursday, right...?”

“I guess when you're a time traveler, your perception of time is bound to get a bit wonky...” Zari concluded and folded her arms.

“So will getting plastered at a pub 2 in the morning,” John chimed in and took a swig from his hip flask. Ray glanced at him in concern.

“I really don't think you should drink so much,” Ray whispered. “That's stuff is not good for you, you know.”

“Don't worry, big man,” John reassured him and pocketed the flask and pulled out a pack of cigarettes instead. “I always figured me lungs would kick it long before this bodged liver does.”

John had barely put the cigarette in his mouth when Zari nicked it from his lips. The warlock gave her a glare and took a defiant sip from the hip flask again.

“Oi! John-o!” Charlie shouted from the parlor. “Don't stand over there like bloody twonk. Come over here. I've got the good stuff.”

John looked up with interest at these words. “Very well then,” he said and looked over at Ray and Zari. “I'll leave you lot to your technical difficulties while I have a bevvy with your sloshed shapeshifter over there.”

“I thought you were here to get something from the library?” Zari said, confused.

John stopped in the middle of a step as if he had hit an invisible wall, and turned around on his heels. “Bollocks! Right, right... Better get that one sorted out before the spell wears off...”

“Spell?” Ray asked, confounded. “Wait, what spell...?”

Before the warlock could start ignoring the question, he was nearly run over by Nate, coming from the opposite direction. Nate's expression was a mix of bewilderment and worry.

“Okay first of all; don't use the bathroom for the next hour,” Nate explained with a grave look. “I've done what I can, but I don't think the smell is gonna wear off in a while and I don't wish that experience upon anyone... Secondly, I just passed the library on the way hear and it sounds like something is screaming from in there...?”

Zari and Ray looked at John Constantine. He glanced at his wrist watch. “Might have overestimated the duration of that silence spell...”

“John!” Zari exclaimed.

“Alright, alright, I'm on it,” John said reassuringly and headed out of the room again.

“Wait, wait, hold on Gary. You're making no sense,” Sara suddenly said, causing John to stop for a second time. Her voice sounded strange and unusally serious. “Alright, I'm putting you on speakers.”

“ _...and then I saw the name, and I realized why the picture on the front page was so familiar, and I tried to call you but we had lost contact with the Waverider and nobody knew why-”_

“Gary, just do us both a favor and text me the article.”

Gary's voice turned into a whimper. _“_ _My eyes are blurry from tears a_ _nd I can't see the display._ _”_

“Just do this for me, Gary!” Sara yelled as kindly as she could.

The sound of a new text notification arrived immediately. Sara sighed in relief. “Thank god for that...” She opened the link and looked down at the article. After a couple of seconds, her eyes grew wide. “Wait, what is this...?”

Ray and Nate shared a look and quickly ran up to her to take a peek at the phone. They both looked shocked at what they saw.

Zari observed them quietly. “Is anyone gonna tell the rest of us what's going on, or should everyone just gather around Sara?”

Sara held up the display of her phone to Zari, allowing her to read the article. Zari narrowed her eyes as she began reading out loud. “ _10-year old girl missing._ ” She stopped reading, looking very confused. “Okay... So now we know why Gary is crying but it doesn't explain why-”

Sara swiped her finger over the screen. Zari froze at the second page and the face staring back at her.

“...and that's a photo of 10 year old me,” she said, her voice empty of any emotion.

* * *

“Gideon!” Sara shouted, causing both Nate and Ray flinch away from her. “Any aberrations we should know about?"

“ _I apologize, captain. It appears I'm currently unable to access the timeline. Any records, historic or future, are offlin-”_

“Offline... Yeah, that checks out,” Sara interrupted tiredly.

“It doesn't matter,” Zari stated and hugged her chest. “I'm pretty sure I would remember getting kidnapped as a kid...”

“Well, the good news are that you're probably still alive, or you would have disappeared through thin air before our very surprised eyes,” Ray said with a brave attempt of a smile and turned to John. “You'd be surprised how often that happens around here.”

John gave him a strange look, making Ray's smile fade a bit as he pointed to himself. “...Me. I got shot. When I was eight.”

John's look didn't change one bit, and Ray turned to Zari instead with a brighter attitude. “And hey, maybe it's not as bad as it looks?”

“Yeah, Ray's right,” Nate chimed in, immediately jumping on the positivity train. “Maybe you got lost on your way home or something.”

“Nate, you don't understand. This...” Zari gestured to the article. “This never happened. Which means something must _have_ happened. Someone or something that doesn't belong here did this.”

“Something like a bloody fugitive,” John muttered under hit breath.

“Hey, I'm just trying to stay positive,” Nate explained. “And just like Ray said, Zari hasn't left our side yet. Why are we assuming that something terrible is gonna happen to her?”

“Did you read the part of the article mentioning that two other girls have gone missing in a similar fashion?” Sara asked gravely and held up the phone.

Nate went deathly quiet as he stared at the captain. After a moment, he collected himself and walked up to her. “Obviously not...” He mumbled and took the phone.

His eyes moved across the screen quietly. His expression slowly changing by each word. Going from shock to a sickened expression. Ray looked between his best friend and the his captain, his eyes growing desperate. “So... They didn't just run away?”

“They found their bodies, Ray,” Nate said with a hollow voice and stopped reading.

Ray's expression crumbled into a devastated one. John quickly snatched the phone from Nate, who easily gave it up and started pacing back and forth instead. “Okay, um... We'll just have to find her. Right? There's a way to find her, I know there is. It's... Ugh, come on! Why isn't my brain working...”

“Hey, hey! Bro. Calm down,” Ray said and put a hand on Nate's shoulder. “It's alright. She's right here.” Ray pointed at Zari who looked back at Nate. “She's still with us.”

“And she isn't going anywhere,” Sara stated, her voice cold. “We'll make sure of that.”

“Okay...” Nate said and took a deep breath. “So we... just do the same thing we did when mini Ray got shot. We time jump to the day before-”

“ _I'm afraid that won't be possible, Mr Haywood, as any time related functions are currently offlin-”_

“Oh come on!” Nate snapped.

“Gideon, we _need_ the time traveling up and working,” Sara told the ship computer. “There's gotta be a way to jump just one stinking day, and I need you to find it.”

There was a moment of silence. No one uttered a word. Nobody breathed...

“ _...I'm so sorry, Miss Tomaz.”_

“Hey, it's okay,” Zari said with a joyless laugh. “I'm just coming to terms with the irony of me installing an update to save more people, and ultimately ensuring my own death. I'm waiting for it to get funny any moment now.”

“It won't,” Ray said and suddenly looked up. His eyes wide in realization. “I think I just got an idea.” He quickly turned to John. “Give me the phone. I need to call Gary.”

John had stopped reading the article. His eyes were now fixed on a photo of two girls. Their still faces mercifully blurred. Their bodies tucked closely together in a single bed. Both wearing snow white dresses, eerily similar to bridal gowns.

Ray tilted his head slightly while observing the warlock. “John? Could... I have the phone?” Ray reached out a hand and put it on John's shoulder. “Hey, are you alright?”

The touch made John immediately snap back from his trance-like state. He gave Ray a swift glance and then quickly handed over the phone without a word. Ray clutched the phone with one hand, but his eyes were studying John in concern. “You okay there?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah...” John replied and waved reassuringly. He avoided Ray's gaze by idly looking in the opposite direction at exactly nothing.

“Hey. It's okay. I know that you-” Ray hesitated for a second. “...I know that it's hard when it's kids. I understand.”

John's eyes were staring emptily in front of himself. Barely present. He then eyed Ray for a second and patted the scientist on the chest. “With a big, soft heart as yours, mate...” John said, his voice hard to place. “...Pray that you never do.”

“Well, right now, we need his big soft brain,” Sara said and stepped in, her arms folded. “With our time travel nerfed, we're literally on the clock here, gentlemen... Ray. You said you had an idea?”

“Oh, right! Sorry,” Ray said and picked up the phone. “Um, Gary? Hi. Do you think you could pop over to the Waverider real quick with a time courier?”

Nate's head perked up at this. His eyes widened and he mimed an excited “YES” and thumbs up to Ray. Ray answered with a similar gesture. “The Waverider is experiencing... technical difficulties,” Ray explained. “And we need to jump back one day to save mini me. I mean mini Zari!...Zari!”

“ _Oh, that's a really good idea!”_ Gary's voice said excitedly. _“I'll pop right over with one.”_

“Great! That's great,” Ray said, his face beaming.

“ _As soon as the lock down is over.”_

Ray immediately turned silent and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sara snagged the phone from him, her voice controlled but unforgiving. “What fricking lock down, Gary?”

“ _Remember that Jersey Devil-fugitive we caught in 1347 northern Europe?”_

“Oh god no...” the historian sighed and pressed both his palms to his forehead.

“ _Yeah, turns out it might have the plague. The big one. With a ca_ _pital P. No one is going in or out of this place until we've got this confirmed.”_

Sara's expression remained exactly the same, in an unnatural lack of emotion. “Gary, if this is a joke I will be coming for that final nipple of yours myself and-”

“ _No no please don't come over, it's not a joke!”_ Gary ranted in panic. _“We're working on a solution, but apparently, it's surprisingly difficult to find tests for extinct diseases. I'm so sorry. I'm really, really sorr-”_

Sara turned off the phone while mouthing a profanity that made Ray blush. John looked between the stranded time travelers. His eyes narrowed before turning away with a scoff. “Bloody hell...”

“Yeah, what he said...” Sara said deadpan and started pacing back and forth, dragging her hand frantically through her hair.

“So... What basically just happened is that we have zero means of time travel,” Nate asked, his face pale. “Like... None at all.”

Ray was clutching the phone with both hands and swallowed nervously. “Seems that way...”

“So, in other words,” Nate said, his voice hollow. “Right now, there's a scared little Zari out there, together with some hell spawn monster that in any moment is gonna-”

“Nate, that's enough!” Sara ordered.

John suddenly turned around and darted down the hall. “John!” Ray called after him and followed a couple of steps. “John, we could really use your-”

“He can't help, Ray,” Zari said, and sat down on the floor with crossed legs. Her voice was empty of emotion. “If John Constantine knew a way to change the past, he already would. Trust me on that... If he wants to leave, just let him.”

Ray watched John disappear the same way Nate had came from earlier. Ray raised an eyebrow at this, but he didn't say anything.

“And if anyone else here doesn't wanna stick around to watch this super fun trick where I disappear through thin air,” Zari announced with a joyless smile. “I promise I won't hold a grudge.”

“Hey! That's not gonna happen,” Nate said and sat down next to Zari in the stairs. “You're not dead yet. And none of us are giving up on you, so... Don't give up on yourself, alright? Nothing's gonna happen to you, you hear that?”

“Come on, Gideon. Give us some alternatives here...!” Sara ordered. “How do we fix this whole mess?”

“ _I'm afraid the list is short. The only options for getting time travel back online are the ones previously stated, captain Lance.”_

Sara closed her eyes in agony. “Remind me of what those were again...?”

“ _You can either let Miss Tomaz's upgrade run its course, or you can cancel it prematurely.”_

“And which was the fastest one?”

“ _It is_ _difficult_ _to say_ _. Canceling the upgrade will force an emergency shutdown of the ship's whole system and will take at least 60 minutes to start up again. It's impossible to say how long it will take for time travel, or any other function, such as life support, to be up and running.”_

“And the other option....?”

“ _The upgrade will be complete in 8 hours and-”_

“...48 minutes,” Zari said simultaneously with Gideon.

“Okay, guys. I know that this seems hopeless,“ Ray said, mustering up his final ounce of optimism. “But the police is searching, and... Well, even if they don't find her in time, we'll be able to time travel back in only 8 hours and 47 minutes. We can still set everything right.”

“Assuming that I'll still be here when that happens and Temporal permanence hasn't settled in yet,” Zari pointed out. “I appreciate the half full glass of water, Ray, but that's a pretty big if.”

Ray's last ounce of optimism washed off his face and he looked down at the floor. Nate moved closer to Zari and put an arm around her. Zari kept staring emptily at the floor, but then glanced back at Ray. “Did... It hurt?”

Ray looked up. “Hm?”

“When you... went away,” Zari clarified, not sure how to put her thoughts into words. “When you were 8.”

“Oh. Right,” Ray said, and pondered for a second. “I... felt nothing. Honestly. One moment I was there, and in the next, I... had never moved. Or even breathed.” Ray's expression changed into a puzzled one. As if he was trying to use three sticks to make a square. “It wasn't even like... a feeling really. Just the lingering sense of something absent. Like removing a shoe and then putting it back on. That something was... missing at some point. If that makes any sense.”

Sara watched Ray quietly for a moment. “I never asked you about that.”

“And I never thought about it. Until now,” Ray admitted with a disconcerted expression.

Zari didn't move. She looked at her air totem and then slowly turned to Nate. Her eyes looked like a mix between quizzical and worried. “Should I... Do anything?”

“Zari, don't-” Nate started.

“I mean, I-I've never been through anything like this before,” Zari clarified, her voice trembling ever so slightly and her eyes darting back and forth. “How do I even... I don't know, prepare for it? Do you guys have a will or something in case you die on a mission? I've never made a will. Do I need to make a- OW! Son of a...!”

Before anyone had the time to react, John Constantine had rushed back inside the room like a fox into a hen house, and nipped a string of hair from Zari's scalp.

“What the hell was that?!” Zari asked, scratching her head intensely.

John held the sample close to his eye and inspected it with a pleased look. “Oh, just some fat particles composed by sebum and oil, luv,” John clarified, still focusing on the hair. “Or as I would like to call it: some good ol' human DNA.”

“John, I swear... If you turn me into a fricking cat again-” Zari started, but went silent as her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “...Is that my toothbrush?”

John had picked up a red toothbrush from one of his coat's many pockets and was busy twining the string of hair several times around the brush. Sara watched him with a deadpan expression. “John, unless you've got some voodoo in your pockets that can turn back time 24 hours-”

“Sorry, luv. I'm a nutter alright, but not even I am loony enough to dabble with time magic,” John explained while concentrating on his handiwork. “That's the kind of can of worms that will eat your face first and then your grandparents... Oh, and fill this up, will ya?”

John tossed over a glass vial over to Zari, who grimaced. “Ugh, with what exactly...?”

“Well, urine would admittedly be a more potent agent, but I'll settle for the finest saliva you can muster,” John said with a teasing smile. “If that's alright with you, luv.”

“Not really...” Zari said with an uncomfortable look at the vial and handed it over to Nate who eyed it uncertainly.

“Alright, John! That's enough,” Sara announced and clapped her hands together. “Time to share your group project with the rest of the class. If time magic is too wacky for you, then what the hell are you doing?”

“Just some ancient Tibetan magic that should allow me to connect with Zari's here spirit,” John explained and nodded to the ship's hacker.

Zari looked up. “My what now?”

“Fill that one up all the way for us, if you don't mind,” John reminded and tapped the vial in Nate's hand. “Cheers and all that.”

“No, I absolutely do mind,” Zari protested, looking between John and the glass container. “You said you're gonna connect with my spirit. What the hell does that even mean?”

“It means that I'm intending to hijack your 10 year old soul for a tick and hopefully get a glimpse at her memories,” John explained with an almost impressively casual voice and pocketed his hands. “Which is really handy when looking for a missing person and your time machine is botched.”

John crouched next to Zari. His eyes stern. “I owe you one, luv. And I have every intention on paying you back. Trust me on that, yeah?”

Zari gave John a side glance but reluctantly started filling the vial to the brim with spit. “Ugh, I have a feeling where this stuff is going, and now I can't unsee it...”

“Wait, how will your magic know to connect with the right Zari?” Nate asked. “We're stuck in 2019, there's two of them here.”

“Not quite sure to be honest, Natey-boy,” John admitted. “Divining’s a sort of sympathetic magic, and I've admittedly never performed this while there's been two people with the same DNA around. Or twins for that matter. But don't worry. It should work out all dandy in the end. At least in theory.”

“Oh, I would very much like to hear that theory,” Sara said with a voice practically dripping with skepticism.

“Well, it's less of a theory and more of a handy liability,” John said with a smile, but his eyes remained serious. “You see, children are really easy prey for the dark arts. No magical immune system, as to speak. Mind's an open door for any magical tosser to waltz right in.”

“So you're seriously gonna save Zari with some hair, a mouthful of spit, and... a toothbrush?” Nate asked in disbelief.

“I've done more with less, handsome,” John answered with a wink, before taking the vial from Zari. He quickly corked it and eyed the content for a second. He then proceeded by putting the container in his pocket and place the toothbrush in his mouth before rushing out of the room.

“John!” Sara yelled after the running warlock. “Where the hell are you-”

“Can't unsee that either,” Zari mumbled with an uncomfortable look.

Sara sighed, looking mentally exhausted. “Someone just... Ray, go after the magic lunatic and see what he's doing.”

Ray flinched at the mention of his own name. “You... You want me to go after John?”

“Your legs are longer than his, you'll catch up in no time,” Sara stated.

“On it,” Ray confirmed and began his pursuit. “Um, John! Sharing is caring!”

Sara looked over at Zari. She was still on the floor next to Nate. She had pulled up her knees to her chest, leaning her forehead against them. Nate glanced at her with a worried look and gently rubbed her shoulder. Sara watched them for a moment before approaching.

“Zari, I can't imagine what you're going through right now,” Sara said. “And Nate is right. We're not giving up on you. But in order to help you, you're gonna have to help us. Alright?”

“Yeah... yeah, absolutely,” Zari agreed quietly.

“Good,” Sara said and turned to Ray and Nate. “Alright, come on team. The article said that Zari were last seen yesterday going home from school. Zari, could you show us where you would go? We could search the area and maybe find some clues or pick up some traces.”

Zari looked up at Sara, confused. “No... No, I never walked home from school. My mom always picked me up.”

Sara studied her. “Are you sure?”

“Believe me, she wouldn't let me go anywhere on my own until I started high school,” Zari confirmed. “Especially during your political climate...”

“That's odd,” Sara said and reached for her phone. “One of your teachers said in this interview that he saw you leaving on your own with a couple of other girls.”

“Yeah, that... never happened either,” Zari said with a furrowed brow.

“What exactly? Going home to a friend after school?” Nate asked uncertainly.

“Nate. I never _had_ friends in school,” Zari clarified. She looked genuinely scared now.

Sara and Nate shared a bewildered glance.

“...Who the hell were those two girls then?” Nate asked, feeling a cold unpleasant sensation creeping up his spine.

The lights suddenly flickered a bit and everything went pitch dark. After two seconds, the lights started to power up again.

“So... Was that good power outage or a bad one...?” Nate asked with a hesitant look.

“Considering the day we're having, I have a bold guess,” Sara muttered. “Gideon! What the hell has stopped working now? And please spare me the gloating.”

Ray's voice was heard over the intercom, slightly distorted and hard to hear. Nate looked hopeful. “Hang on, did the comms just come back online? Oh man, finally some good news-”

“ _Guys, I need help in the Med Bay_ _!”_ Ray's voice yelled over the crackling intercom. _“_ _It's John. I- I thi_ _nk he did something._ _”_

The remaining Legends looked at each. The dread in the room was so potent it was choking.

“W-Wait... Did what?” Nate asked, and tapped his comm. “Hey, Ray? Can you hear me? What did John do-”

Sara broke off from the group and started running towards the Medbay.

Not looking back.

Not stopping.

Not thinking.

Just run.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

Ray was standing on his knees next to John's still body. The signature trench coat was discarded to the side, and John's white shirt was torn open, exposing the chest. The tie was loosened, hanging lifeless around his neck. He had blood trailing down from the corners of his eyes, leaving nightmare streaks of crimson on his face. A red toothbrush rested forgotten next to his head.

“Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen...” Ray counted with each chest compression. His eyes too focused to notice Sara entering the Medbay.

She stopped in the door and stared at the unconscious man on the floor. “What the hell happened-”

“He's not breathing, Sara!” Ray yelled. His eyes screaming with panic. “I-I need some help here-”

Sara dived down next to Ray and took over the chest compressions. Ray quickly scooted over to John's head and tilted his chin up before covering his lips over the warlock's mouth, breathing air into his lungs. John's chest raised slightly. Ray removed himself for a second, inhaled deeply, and then breathed in a second time, watching John's chest raise once more. He then placed a hand on John's neck, feeling for any sign of life. “Come on, John, come on... Please, come on now...”

After a moment of dreaded silence he swallowed and looked at Sara, shaking his head. Sara glanced back at the scientist. “You've got this, Ray,” she told him, still pushing the chest. “Just talk to me. What do you need?”

“I-I need a... a-a defibrillator?” Ray stammered.

“Okay. It's gonna be alright, Ray,” Sara told him and quickly got off John's chest. Her muscles screaming from the effort. “Get him to the chair.”

Nate and Zari stopped at the entrance, both breathing heavily, and watched how Ray scooped up John in his arms and carefully placed him in one of the chairs while Sara placed an oxygen mask over his face. John's eyes were still closed. Still leaking with blood...

“Oh my god... John?!” Zari exclaimed at the scene.

Sara quickly snapped the medical bracelet around John's right wrist, while Ray ran over to the computer panel on the wall.

Nate stared from the unconscious man in the chair and to Ray. “What did the idiot do?”

Ray pushed a couple of buttons on the interface with a worried brow. “Um... He stuck a knife in the power outlet, and... Well...”

“He stuck a knife in the what?!” Sara yelled.

“Didn't you try to stop him?” Zari asked in disbelief.

“He told me not too!” Ray cried out dishearteningly, but then stared at the screen before him. “Um, Gideon...? Why can't I pick the-”

“ _Apologies, Doctor Palmer,”_ Gideon's voice was heard over the comm. _“It appears approximately 87% of the Medbay's functions are still offline, including the defibrillator.”_

“What?!” Nate yelled.

“You've gotta be kidding me...” Sara muttered under her breath.

“ _I'm sorry. Most of the features were already amiss due to Miss Tomaz's update, and I'm afraid that Mr Constantine's intrusion of the power grid did not help. It may take a while before the equipment is up to standard again.”_

“We don't have time for that, Gideon!” Sara snapped at the computer, and glanced at John's unmoving, bloodied face beneath the mask. She observed him quietly for a second before looking away, clenching her fists. “God damnit, John...”

“I-I can't do this...” Zari whispered, her eyes staring blankly in front of herself. “This is my... I'm the one who...” She took a deep breath before burying her face in her hands and crouched silently.

Nate looked at her in concern, and then turned to Ray. “Come on, buddy. You can fix this, I know you can.” His voice was pleading. “Right...?”

Ray's eyes were moving rapidly. Carefully considering every thought rushing through his head in a speed he could barely keep up with. He then stopped. His eyes blinked a couple of times before turning to the others. “Get the gurney.”

Nate quickly dashed to the other side of the room and wheeled over the stretcher. Zari scrambled to her legs and ran over to help him.

“Man, we really need some proper beds in here...” Nate muttered as he it parked next to the chair.

Ray swiftly removed the medbay bracelet from John's wrist and wrapped his arms around the magician's torso. He glanced over at Nate. “Help me move him over to the bed. On three. One, two...”

Nate and Ray carefully lifted John from the chair and placed the limp warlock on the gurney as fast and gently as they could. “Easy, easy... Good,” Ray said and looked at Sara. “Keep doing CPR. I'll be right back.”

Without a word, Sara climbed up on the stretcher and straddled the motionless body, picking up right where she left off. Ray immediately ran over to the cupboard and rummaged through the labels until he found what he was looking for. He rushed back. Sara was still pushing John's chest down with as much strength she could muster, forcing the heart to keep pumping blood.

Ray picked up a syringe and filled it with a clear substance from the bottle.

“What you've got, Ray?” Sara asked, strings of blond hair obscuring here eyes slightly.

“Uh, 1 milligram of Epinephrine,” Ray explained and started to hurriedly roll up John's sleeve.

“Have you done this before, bro?” Nate asked?

“Only with an Epipen. Through the thigh,” Ray explained, and swallowed as he aimed the pointy metal at the tender skin. His hand was visibly trembling. “But injections in muscles takes longer. Veins transport blood to the heart in less than a minute...”

“Sounds to me like you know what you're doing,” Nate stated, and watched how the needle pierced the pale skin as Ray injected the drug.

“Yes. ...Not really. Kinda,” Ray rambled and slowly removed the empty syringe with an uneasy look. “Keep up the chest compressions. Try to feel for a pulse, or a heart beat, or... anything. I'll get an IV.”

“I've got awesome lungs, bro. I'll do the mouth to mouth,” Nate offered and moved over to the head of the stretcher. “Sara, you just let me know if you need to switch.”

“Not gonna happen. I've got this,“ Sara stated, her eyes steel focused. “Zari, check for a pulse.”

Zari moved over to John's other side and placed a hand on his neck, but then quickly took a step back. Her eyes wide and her legs shaking a bit. Nate looked up at her. “Zari...?”

“...did any of you feel that?” Zari asked in a low voice. Her expression was beyond puzzled.

Ray returned with a bag of fluid and hastily set it up next to the patient. He ripped open a sterile package of IV-needles and had soon inserted one to the back of John's hand. “Alright, one more dose...” Ray said under his breath and injected something into the catheter leading into John's bloodstream. His eyes were fixed on the warlock's pale and blood spotted face. “Please, John...”

The panel next to Ray suddenly lit up, making him flinch. It showed a human body and some colorful waves rhythmically beeping in sync. Nate had removed the mask and breathed air into John's lungs once more before looking up at the panel, blinking uncertainly. “...What does that mean?”

In the next second, John's chest suddenly raised on its own as the man gasped for air. His body followed up by immediately starting to convulse in a series of coughs. John weakly rolled over to the side, wheezing for air. Ray exhaled and leaned heavily against the wall, dropping the syringe on the floor with a clatter.

Sara sat down on the gurney with a frustrated sigh before sliding off of it. “Damnit, John! Are you trying to kill yourself?”

John groggily wiped away some blood from the corner of his eyes. “If I did…” John coughed sickly between his words, and nodded towards Ray. “... I wouldn't have brought boy scout along, now would I?” John coughed again but managed an approving gesture. “Nice job there, old son...”

Ray waved slightly back to him, panting as if he was out of breath. “Thanks. Um... Please don't ever do that again... Seriously, that could have killed you. A cardiac arrest caused by the voltage in this ship's power grid is deadly. Even with the defibrillator online, there was no guarantee I could-”

“Yeah, yeah, well, I'm a master of the dark arts, not a bloody electrician...” John interrupted and grabbed his chest with a pained grimace. “What the blooming hell have you wankers been up to...? Feels like my ribs have had a hell of a nookie with a porcupine...”

“Well, my mouth now tastes like booze and tar, and I don't think it'll ever go away, so I'd say that we're even,” Ray stated.

“Tastes like a hero to me,” John said and winked at him.

Ray kept eying John with ill concealed worry. “We should probably have you checked out at a real hospital, just in case. With Medbay down, you're better off in the hands of professionals right now.”

“Oh, I wouldn't worry about that...” John claimed and slowly sat up, with Nate keeping a hand on his shoulder for support. “Those poor old blighters wouldn't even know where to start cutting this botched body, mate. Better not give them more than they can chew, eh?”

“Yeah, speaking of that,” Sara said and folded her arms. Her voice frosty as a winter breeze, but her eyes were fuming with anger. “Assuming that you're neither 3 years old or suicidal, explain to me the point of sticking a knife into a fricking power socket.”

“Sorry about the fright, luv,” John answered and began to attempt to button his shirt. His face twitched a little. “Just needed a wee bit of cardiac arrest, is all.”

“Really?” Sara said, unimpressed. “By electrocuting yourself?”

“Well, there's also an old ancient Egyptian spell that can temporarily stop your heart, but I wouldn't trust any of you plonkers with it. Or Gary for that matter.”

“This is insane...” Sara stated tiredly.

“Well, so am I,” John replied deadpan and turned to Sara, his face unreadable. “I saw where Zari was. The smaller version of her, that is...”

Zari looked up and stared at him in disbelief. “You found me?”

“Oh my god, yes...!” Nate cheered and grabbed John's head and kissed it. “You! Awesome wizard!” He then looked at Ray and pointed at him. “You! Awesome doctor!” He quickly turned to Zari. “You! Awesome, and so not dead!”

John didn't look very excited. He carefully sat up on the edge of the gurney with one hand over his sore ribs. Nate's smile slowly faded when he noticed. “... Oh come on, please no.”

“John?” Sara asked warily.

Constantine hesitated for a moment. “I could see through her eyes, alright,” he admitted, and glanced at Nate. “But seeing and knowing are two different things, mate.”

“What does it mean?” Nate asked.

“She's locked in a room with no windows,” John explained. His eyes seemed a shade darker now than before. “No landmarks, no address...”

“No way to find me...” Zari said in a low voice as the situation dawned on her.

“It's been over a day since anybody last saw her,” John continued and bitterly started to fix his tie. “Who bloody knows here he has taken her...”

Ray reacted to this and looked at John. “Sorry. _He_...?”

“Trust me on this, mate...” Was John's simple reply.

Sara put a stern hand on John's shoulder, looking him directly in the eyes. “John, please. This is important. Did you see anything else in that room? Anything that can help us?”

John stayed quiet for a moment. Nothing in his face or expression gave a clue to what was going on inside his mind. After a bit, he looked back up at Sara. “Nothing that's gonna help us, no.”

Sara let go of John and groaned in frustration. Zari hugged her chest and leaned against a wall. Nate walked over to her. “Hey. You okay?”

“Sure,” Zari said and took a deep breath. “It's just that knowing that your kid version is about to be brutally murdered or molested at any moment can be... a little stressful.” She smiled ruefully. “I'm not sure if I preferred it when I didn't know the setting...”

“Just so you know, I give great comfort hugs,” Nate offered kindly and opened his arms. “Store is always open if you'd like one.”

Zari looked at Nate for a second, and then leaned her body against his chest instead. Allowing him to wrap his arms around her. She closed her eyes. “I could really use a donut right now...”

“Unless you're okay with wood donuts with non-dinkel grain instead of sprinkles, I wouldn't recommend it,” Nate answered sympathetically.

Sara kicked the chair, making Ray jump at the loud impact. John watched Sara's violent outburst from the gurney without even raising an eyebrow. He then looked over at Zari, his expression uncharacteristically somber. “I'm sorry, luv-”

“Don't you dare!”

Sara's voice cut off John like a razor blade as she marched over to the magician. There was a palpable aura of fury around her. Her mind was in flight or fight mode, but her body language only knew one of them... She slammed both hands down on each side of John, looking straight through him. “Technology might have bailed on us, but that doesn't mean you get to do that too, John Constantine. Understand?” She pointed at Zari. “She's alive right now. And we're gonna make damn sure she stays that way. Got it?”

Sara straightened herself up. Her eyes still staring down John. Relentless. “I don't ever want to hear you say that there was even one thing you could have done for her, and you didn't bother to try. So show us what all that fancy magic is good for... Or get the hell off my ship.”

John hesitated. His body was tense and unmoving except from his strenuous breaths, each one forcing its way through his sore chest. His eyes were moving back and forth like a typewriter, as his mind worked its way through the warlock's jumbled thoughts. After a minute, he lazily pulled out the IV-needle from his hand and scooted off the bed with a strained grunt. “'Aight...”

“John, be careful...!” Ray said and hurried up to him. “You were technically dead a few minutes ago, and I don't think you're quite out of the woods yet. You really should lie down.”

John cringed as he hunched down to pick up his coat from the floor. He put it on with some effort and then reached for a piece of chalk from the left pocket. In the next second, he had started drawing a circle on the floor. His legs wobbled slightly where he stood, but somehow managed to keep him upright.

“Uh, what is the magic man doing...?” Nate inquired with a wary look.

“John?” Sara asked, while watching the warlock at work. “What's the plan here?”

John didn't answer. He kept drawing while mumbling something under his breath. His other hand grasped his chest again, making him stop for a second and close his eyes tightly in pain. He was panting heavily, his breath shaking by each inhale, but then continued drawing. His eyes burning with determination.

“Should we do something?” Ray asked and looked at the others.

“Hey, John, is there anything we can do to help?” Nate offered. “If there's anything we can do, just let us know, alright? So, what do you need? Books? Ingredients? Eye of newt...”

John held up a middle finger for Nate to see, as he kept drawing on the floor and chanting in a different language. Nate looked at the Legends. “I think he needs silence.”

“Well, that's promising...I think,“ Ray said uncertainly.

Sara crossed her arms while watching John closely. “I don't like this...”

Ray looked at her in surprise. “Why not? You're the one who told him to-”

“I know! But... having him fry his brain or kill himself to save Zari is not a win either...” Sara said. There was a genuine sense of worry in her voice. She turned back to the warlock. Her look was a mix of deep concern and regret. “Listen, John. I'm sorry I yelled at you. But at least give us a clue to what you're doing. Please? For my own sanity's sake...”

“Well,” John said and dry coughed again, looking a bit rough. He was still clutching his chest with his free hand while drawing arcane symbols with the other. “The plan is that I'm gonna attempt to possess little Zari for a tick,” John explained and looked at Sara with a grin. The blood from his eyes were slightly smeared from his attempts to wipe it off. “Think of it like hotwiring the kid's brain. Like some bloody demon...”

John continued the chanting, his face serious again. Sara and Ray shared a look.

“How the hell is that suppose to help?” Sara wanted to know.

“Not sure yet!” John called out, with an almost provocative optimism. “But I figured that if we're really out of options, might as well bring out the big magical guns, eh?”

“Is... that safe?” Ray asked, his expression mildly disturbed.

John continued adding strange arcane symbols around the circle. “For you lot? Oh, absolutely. Hunkydory and all that.”

“And for you?” Sara asked, while watching John suspiciously.

“Nothing about magic is safe, luv,” John said in a matter of fact voice. “Though this particular branch might be on the riskier side. Demonic magic isn't exactly designed to be used by humans.” John glanced over at the others in a sarcastic demeanor. “Let's just say that there might be some unexpected side effects.”

“...Will it work?” Nate asked, hesitantly.

“Like a vicar on a Sunday,” John replied with no lack of confidence. “But truth be told, when it comes to this kind of magic... There are no such thing as guarantees, mate. In for a penny, in for a pound, and all that. Though, it helps that I now have a connection with Zari's there spirit,” John answered and nodded to Zari, who looked anything but comfortable about the comment.

“Wait a minute, have you ever done this before?” Sara wanted to know.

“Never in my life,” John replied honestly. “Which is lucky for you. Not even I am insane enough to try this twice...”

John got up on his feet and tossed the chalk aside. He was standing in the middle of the circle now and held out his hands. “Now back up, you lot. Give us some space, will ya. This isn't exactly the kind of ride you want to be in the splash zone of...”

“Hold on! Exactly how dangerous is this?” Sara asked.

“No idea,” John said and picked up a vial from his inner pocket before quickly drinking the content. His voice was strangely casual, but his eyes were dead serious. “Though, I suppose we'll soon find out, won't we?”

“John, WAIT-”

Sara ran up to John but was suddenly pulled back by Ray as the sigil on the floor lit up and a wall of fire surrounded the wizard. Ray wrapped an arm around Sara as they both stared at the inferno engulfing their friend. Nate and Zari watched as well, both completely horror struck by the flaming scene. They could hear a dark distorted chanting echoing all around them, like in a tunnel. Hitting their eardrums like church bells. Ancient and domineering.

“Do we do something?!” Nate yelled over the roaring fire.

“No! Stand back! Don't get too close,” Ray yelled back, his eyes squinting at the bright light

In the next second, the fire suddenly dissipated. Leaving glowing symbols on the floor. John was standing in the middle of it. His eyes closed and still panting. Still mumbling in a language that now sounded similar to Latin. It was difficult to tell if he was aware of his surroundings or not.

“John...?” Ray said and took a step closer, but Sara quickly put a hand on his chest, stopping him.

“Back up a bit...” Sara said warningly and pushed Ray behind her while still watching John. “Hey, John? Are you alright?”

There was a moment of silence. John had stopped chanting. Stopped panting. It was hard to tell if he was even breathing. He then slowly opened his eyes. They were glowing red. Like burning blood. Nate took a step back. “Okay, that can't be good...”

One moment later, John's body was rapidly pulled down to the floor with a crash of flesh and bones hitting the hard surface. As if gravity had decided to take out all of its build up rage on one single person.

“JOHN!” Sara screamed and ran two steps, but stopped as if she had hit an invisible wall when John suddenly raised an averting hand towards her.

He groaned in discomfort and slowly stood up on his feet again, his whole body trembling. His muscles twitching, as if his body was trying to get rid of a disease. The symbols on the floor suddenly started illuminating in the same dark crimson as his eyes. John mumbled something under his breath, his palms now glowing with strange markings. He then slammed his hands down on the floor. There was a loud crack, as if something had pierced the very fabric of reality and the floor symbols flared up once more. But this time, the fire was burning black as tar.

The Legends watched the dark flames trapping the warlock inside. Zari then stumbled backwards, grabbing on to a wall. Nate turned to her. “Hey, hey, what's going on?”

“I-I smell something...” Zari said, her eyes wandering all over the room. “It's like... Oh my god...”

Zari hunched over and covered her mouth with a retching noise. Nate hunched next to her with a hand on her shoulder and looked over at the black inferno in concern. “Um, guys...! I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore-”

Before Nate could finish his sentence, the dark fire was suddenly sucked back down into the floor. Back to dark place it came from. John was still standing on all four, wheezing. He carefully shifted the weight to his legs to stand up, but his weak body limply tipped over to the side. John rolled over on to his back, panting heavily on top of the chalk symbols.

Ray dashed overto him. “At least he's still breathing this time...!”

Sara crouched next to John's head and placed a hand on his stubby cheek. It felt extremely hot against her palm. “How are you holding up, John?”

John's eyes rolled back for a split second and he blinked a couple of times. There were some lingering twitching in his hands and arms. He looked very pale... Sara placed her hands on John's cheeks and made him look at her, locking eyes with him. “Is she safe? Is Zari safe? I'm sorry, John, but I have to know.”

John observed her for a moment. After a minute he made a barely noticeable nod. Sara let out a deep sigh and patted his chest appreciatively. John rolled over with some difficulty and tried to get up on his feet. His legs were shaking dubiously.

“Nope, nope, nope,” Ray interrupted and quickly scooped up John's smaller body and threw him over his shoulder, making the warlock grunt with discomfort but unable to physically protest. Ray then carried him over to one of the examination chairs and gently lowered John back down in it. “Nope! Sorry, John. I think a proper check up is in order, and you're not in a position to protest so... Just let me have a look at you to see if... whatever that was did something to you.”

John rolled his eyes but didn't say anything.

“Gideon?” Sara called out. “I know I'm asking for much, but I don't suppose it's possible to have a sneak peek at tomorrow's news yet?”

“ _Fortunately, captain Lance, I can confirm that I have regained limited access to some minor time travel functions.”_

“That's my A.I girl,” Sara shouted and clapped her hands together in a solitary high five. “Alright, let's hear it. Did we change the future without actually using any time traveling?”

“ _It appears that young miss Tomaz was found unharmed approximately 14 miles from her home in a house that had been abandoned for some time.”_

“Oh thank god...!” Nate exclaimed and threw his arms around Zari. “Now all we have to do is to go back in time and install trackers in all of our child versions, because that whole thing was absolute hell, I'm telling you.”

“ _According to the article, Miss Tomaz notified the authorities herself after waking up and finding her_ _abductor_ _dead in the bedroom.”_

Nate froze as he and Zari slowly turned their heads. The other Legends joined them as they all looked at John Constantine. The warlock made precious little attempt to care about the sudden attention.

“Speaking of Hell...” Sara asked, still eying John. “Gideon. How did the man die?”

“ _Cause of death is determined to be wounds caused_ _fifth degree burns._ _However, the source of the fire has not been possible to determine as it appears to only have been centered around young miss Tomaz's capturer.”_

Ray looked between each of the team members in a mix of confusion and disbelief. “Did... John do what I think he did?”

Nate was still hugging Zari, looking terrified. Zari carefully freed herself from his arms while still staring at John. “You mean, did mini-me murder her kidnapper by burning his face off with magic?” Zari asked, and folded her arms. Her voice was impossible to read. “Yep. Sounds like our Constantine.”

“No need to worry about the innocence of her soul, luv,” John claimed with confidence, but his face was getting strangely paler by each word he uttered. “Sins committed when possessed by a demon, or a nasty bastard like me for that matter, aren't added to her heavenly record. She won't remember a thi-”

John's chest suddenly convulsed in a quick motion and he hurriedly rolled over to the side of the chair and vomited. A mouthful of blood, and some odd white pebbles, splattered all over the floor, making the Legends take a step back.

“Whoa! What just happened?” Sara called out.

“Okay, it's okay, John. It's gonna be alright,” Ray said as he helped John back into the chair again. “Lean back a bit for me...”

“Is that blood?” Nate asked from a safe distance.

Sara squatted down and cautiously picked up one of the pebbles. Zari leaned in next to Sara with a furrowed brow. “...What even is that?”

“It kinda looks like... tiny teeth,” Sara responded, and studied the small bloodied object in her hand.

Nate quickly covered his mouth with a distasteful gagging sound and looked away. John eyed the tiny object in Sara's hand from the chair, with some kind of strange, dull fascination. “...Wasn't expecting that.”

“And what exactly _did_ you expect?” Sara wanted to know, and glanced at John, still holding the baby tooth.

“Something far worse, to be honest,” John muttered. Ray quickly returned to his side with a glass of water. John accepted it with a grateful nod. “Ah, cheers mate. Trust me. Magic is right messy as it is without dabbling with this sort of-”

The glass had barely even touched John's lips when he suddenly made another gagging motion. The glass dropped to the floor in pieces as John draped over the armrest and puked again. More blood spilled out of his mouth together with a few baby teeth going 'tink, tink' as they hit the floor. John leaned on the armrest and looked blearily down at the white, stone like objects and the pool of blood below him. “Blimey, I cocked up this time...” he mumbled tiredly.

Nate looked between his team mates.”Is he dying...?!”

Sara walked over to John and held the baby tooth right before his eyes. Her look serious. “Should I be worried?”

“Probably not,” John said, and nonchalantly reached for the hip flask in his inner pocket. “Those aren't mine.”

“I figured that much!” Sara retorted and snatched the bottle away from John and placed it on a near table. “Which makes it that much weirder that _you_ are the one throwing them up!”

John coughed a little, but didn't say anything. Ray had placed a hand on John's neck, checking his pulse with a concerned eyebrow.

“I'm serious, John,” Sara continued. “We're not saving Zari from being murdered as a kid just to loose you from choking on... blood and baby teeth.”

John's attention seemed to be less on Sara and more on the flask standing tantalizingly on the table. He reached for it, but was suddenly pushed back down in the chair by Ray, who kept John's head still while checking his pupils with a penlight. The warlock squirmed from the treatment, but then made a defeated sigh. After a minute, Ray laid down the penlight and put on a pair of rubber gloves, still with a worried look at John. He picked up the penlight again with one hand and gently prodded John's blood spotted lips with his other. “Could you open your mouth for me real quick? I just want to have a look inside to rule some thing out.”

“Hey, hey, no poking around in this gob, 'aight?” John stated and weakly swatted away the helping hands.

“I'm just worried about you,” Ray said with a miserable look at the wizard. “I don't understand how you can act as if any of this is... normal. If you're vomiting blood, you should be at the emergency care unit in the nearest hospital right now...And your heart stopped beating less than an hour ago, so there's that as well.”

“Oh, no need to worry, big man. This ain't nothing,” John said reassuringly and patted Ray's chest. “Wouldn't still be yammering like a tosspot if it wasn't. I'll be right as rain in a tick, just you wait.”

“You're sure about that?” Ray asked, looking very much like whatever John was selling, he wasn't sure if he wanted to buy it.

“Always am, handsome,” John said with a wink. “And besides, it's not like you or any of those quacks would know the first thing about treating magically induced ailments,” John added and managed to snatch the flask back from the table with a well aimed swipe. “I told you before, didn't I? A few side effects were to be expected. Magic always has a p-”

John was cut off by a coughing fit. Droplets of blood sputtered out of his mouth, making Ray hurriedly grab a surgical tray and aim it under John's mouth. The warlock gagged a few times before spitting up a mouthful of slimy blood together with a couple of more teeth. Ray kept a hand one John's back in support, helping the warlock lean over the metallic container. Bloody strings of saliva hanged from his lips as he spit out the rest of it into the tray.

Ray took away the tray with a deeply concerned look. “I'll have a look at that later...” Ray mumbled and handed John a surgical dressing. John spit out one lonesome tooth that plinked when it hit the floor and then wiped his mouth using the dressing.

“Oh yeah, you're fine,” Sara said with a smile, but her eyes vacant of any emotion.

John glanced at Sara with a half of a shrug. “Think of it like a magical hangover, luv.”

Sara sighed again, glancing at the floor. “Well, we should probably get this mess cleaned up before someone slips in it.”

“I'll get a mop!” Ray offered and stepped over the puddle with an uncomfortable look.

Sara observed the crimson liquid with a long look. “Hey, John. I know the teeth ain't yours, but does the blood belong to you?”

John choked down another coughing fit as he responded with a head shake. Sara cocked her eyebrow at him. “So who is it from?”

“No bloody clue,” John mumbled and took a swig from the flask.

“How fun,” Sara said with an indescribable smile.

Ray returned with a mop and an empty water bucket. “Alright! So, my only question is what do we do with the... Um, teeth?”

“Leave them,” John said. “If the Tooth fairy turns out to be real as well, we could scam the bloody knickers off that old nag.”

John made a joyless laugh, but it faded quickly as his face started turning pale again. He squirmed in the chair, the muscles in his throat working to keep down whatever was coming up. Ray stared at John in panic before quickly reaching for the bucket, but John made a reassuring wave as the nausea passed.

Sara eyed the patient seriously. “John, I want an honest answer,” she said, not without sympathy. “Are you absolutely sure that this will pass on its own?”

John closed his eyes and slowly breathed in through his nose, while muttering something under his breath. Sara could swear that she for a second could feel a cold breeze brush by. John then opened one eye and looked at Sara before nodding. “Positive.”

Sara didn't look convinced. She made an exasperated gesture and took a step towards the exit. “Fine then. But you promise to let us know if you need anything, alright?” Sara stopped in the doorway and turned around. “And... Good work, John,” Sara said. “I really appreciate what you did today. I want you to know that.”

John opened his other eye as well, both turning to Sara with a teasing twinkle. “Blimey... A compliment from captain Lance herself.” John slowly sat up in the chair with big grin. “Now, I'm not the kind of bloke who work for praise and biscuits, but... Happy to oblige, luv.”

His smiled faded as his face turned paler again. John gripped the chair with one hand, while the other was still holding on to his hip flask. He took another deep, slow breath. “Just don't ask us to do that one again. Gives me the collywobbles...”

“You and me both, buddy,” Sara promised, with a genuine smile.

“Well, I might be able to help with that actually,” Ray pondered and put down the mop and bucket before heading over to the medicine cabinet again.

“Better make it a bevvy and some bifters, big man,” John commented from the chair and took a quick sip from his flask. “Sometimes you've just gotta let this kind of nasty stuff run its course. Might as well get comfy.”

Ray soon returned to John's side. He was holding another syringe in his hand, filled with a clear, unknown liquid. John recoiled at the sight of the tiny instrument. “Whoa, whoa, what are you playing at?”

“Don't worry. It's going to help, I promise,” Ray said and put a hand on John's shoulder. “Just... trust me on this, alright?”

“Sorry, mate,” John stated and shook his head with a rueful smile. He eyed the needle as if it was sporting a villainous mustache and a monocle. “Not a huge fan of these buggers. Or what's inside of them, for that matter.”

“You can look away if you want...?” Ray suggested helpfully with a shrug.

John chuckled, but immediately stopped as his chest convulsed threateningly. Ray watched him uncertainly. “You okay there...?”

John breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth. After a minute, he started rolling up his right sleeve. Exposing the unprotected skin underneath. He hesitated for a moment, but then placed the arm on the rest next to Ray, before promptly looking away from it. Ray nodded understandingly and swiftly swabbed a spot on John's arm with a piece of antiseptic soaked cotton. He then proceeded by retrieving the needle and carefully poking and prodding the area, searching for a vein. John didn't look. Or blink.

Ray slowly inserted the needle into the soft skin. He quickly glanced over at his patient. John's eyes were locked on the wall. There was a barely noticeable muscle twitching in the corner of his eye, but he didn't make a sound. The hand gripping the hip flask was slowly turning white.

Sara walked back to Ray and leaned in, observing him. “What are you giving him?”

“Just a sedative,” Ray explained as he injected the drug into John's bloodstream. “I figured that if we can't speed up his recovery...”

In a matter of seconds, John's body started to go limp in the chair and his eyes struggled to stay open. Ray gently took the hip flask from John's relaxed grip and placed it on the table within reach.

“...at least maybe he'll be able to sleep through the worst of it,” Ray concluded.

Sara smiled and rubbed Ray's back. She then looked at John, her smile turning a little sad. “He did all that stuff to himself,” Sara stated and looked over at the sigil on the floor and the scattered teeth and blood. “Just because I told him I'd kick him off the ship if he didn't try everything...”

“Well, he also stuck a knife in a power socket before you said any of that,” Ray reminded her with a semi smile. “He didn't do all of this because you told him to. He did it to save Zari.”

“Yeah, we all would have done the same,” Nate agreed and gave Sara a supportive pat on the shoulder.

Zari walked up to the sleeping warlock. She leaned closer to him, watching his chest raise up and down on its own. His hand twitched a bit, like a snoozing cat. She smiled a little and ran her fingers through his hair. She then kissed him softly on the forehead. “Thank you, John.”

She gave him a gentle pat on the arm and got up. Sara put her hand on her hips and looked at each team member. “Well, I don't know about you guys, but this feels like the end of my shift and this captain needs a drink, badly. Care to join me?”

“Assuming that Charlie hasn't finished it all up, that is,” Nate pointed out. “She looked like she was having a pretty good time last I saw her.”

“I'd honestly prefer a donut and a beer,” Zari said. “I'm seriously craving anything that feels even remotely normal right now...”

Sara affectionately wrapped an arm around the hacker's neck. “You're lucky you almost died, because that means _you_ get to pick. Beer and donuts it is.”

“You guys go ahead start without me. I'll stay behind and clean this up,” Ray said and looked over at the sleeping warlock. “And keep an eye on him. At least until Medbay is fully back online.”

Sara eyed the scientist for a second. “Thanks, Ray. Let me know if anything changes, okay?”

“Will do,” Ray nodded affirmatively.

As three out of five Legends left the Medbay, Zari seemed lost in thought. Sara poked her forehead playfully. “Hey, what's on your mind, Z? If you're even thinking about installing anymore updates, I'm taking away your computer. And your allowance.”

“Did you also get the sense that John wasn't telling us the whole truth about what he saw back there?” Zari asked, and turned to the others. “In that room he said I was in...?”

“Crap!” Sara cursed and groaned. “I should have asked John what kind of magical fugitive we were dealing with.”

“Does it matter though?” Nate asked. “He burned it to a pretty overdone human roast. Whatever it was, it's _super_ gone.”

“That's the point!” Sara exclaimed. “We don't _know_ if it's really gone or not. The police found a human corpse, but what if that was just... the host or something?”

Zari sighed. “...And the real creature has latched on to someone else by now.”

“Wouldn't be the first time,” Sara said bitterly. “Damn it... I don't wanna wake up John. Not after putting him through all that crap...”

“Then let him sleep for now, and we'll ask him when he wakes up,” Zari stated. “It's been like 30 minutes since John killed that thing. Even if that fugitive somehow survived and is still around, there's not a whole lot of things it can do in just a few hours.”

“I just don't like not knowing,” Sara stated and folded her arms. “And if I had remembered to ask him right away, I could just have let this go. Now it's gonna be eating my mind while I'm eating donuts.”

“Hey, don't be so hard on yourself,” Nate said in an uplifting tone. “We're all human. Nobody expects you to keep track on every little thing yourself.”

“Thanks, Nate,” Sara said and looked at him. “I appreciate it.”

“And if it makes you feel any better, I just realized something that I had completely forgotten about as well, so...” Nate said, looking away with and awkward look.

“Like what?” Zari said with a teasing smile. “Caesar's birthday? The name of Napoleon's favorite hat?”

“Nope,” Nate said, his face a bit stiff. “I just remembered that the bubonic plague is easily cured with penicillin.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually do have a sort of a 3rd chapter/semi epilogue planned for this one. Just a reason to dive deeper into the underlying emotional and angsty parts of this whole story that I didn't really get to explore in this chapter (such as John's previous experiences with this "fugitive"). 
> 
> Let me know if that sounds like something you would want to read about!


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